Importing a car from Northern Ireland… change of legislation !!

Leo said:
You want your friend to lie on official forms and get involved in your tax evasion? On top of the person you bought it from failing to register it in the state within 30 days as required?
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I'm just trying to buy a car nothing more nothing less.
 
Dogsout91 said:
I'm just trying to buy a car nothing more nothing less.
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Well, advice #1 is don't buy a foreign registered vehicle from a private seller within the state, and certainly not one that has been here for so long unless you want to risk additional fines or confiscation. They can and do look for evidence showing when you brought the car in, most people will show a corresponding ferry ticket.

Advice #2 is don't try involve your friends in tax evasion. Having someone else front the documentation is illegal.
 
Has anyone actually tried this with a UK to NI import post Brexit? I am looking at a 2020 car that was imported to NI in 2021 and has been in private NI ownership since..
 
I'm also very interested in the answer to this. Does anyone here know, by experience, link to a resource or otherwise?

My v limited understanding & possibly incorrect interpretation from Revenue's site [1] (which is somewhat vague) & from the below site's [2] interpretation of it is that under the Windsor Framework an NI dealer can import a car from GB to NI, declare & register it with NI customs as a good for sale on on the NI market, therefore not paying NI VAT, get a copy of the Customs Declaration, put it up for sale on the NI market & that an ROI individual can buy the car from the NI dealer, get a copy of the NI Customs Declaration from the dealer & (only!) have to pay VRT (not ROI customs or VAT).

Is this correct does anyone here know?

[1]

Registering vehicles from Northern Ireland (NI)

This page outlines the process for registering vehicles from Northern Ireland (NI)
www.revenue.ie

[2]

Guide to importing a car from Northern Ireland - a feature by CompleteCar.ie

CompleteCar.ie feature: Guide to importing a car from Northern Ireland
www.completecar.ie
 
sonas93 said:
Has anyone actually tried this with a UK to NI import post Brexit? I am looking at a 2020 car that was imported to NI in 2021 and has been in private NI ownership since..
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If the car has been registered in NI for more than 3 months (to an Individuals name with a NI address) regardless of where it came from this is acceptable.
 
landlord said:
Yes that is exactly how I bought my car from the Mercedes dealer in Portadown a few months ago.
The logbook remains in the previous (NI) owners name and address untill the dealer sells it on.
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I'm looking at a NI registered car that has been used as a courtesy car by a NI dealer for the last 15 months. In other words it was a legitimately working car for the dealer. The V5C document shows the registered owner is the dealer, and has been since new.

So I'm wondering if this situation is enough to get around the "owned by a prividual individual" issue, or are all company cars (even if company has nothing to do with the motor trade) subject to VRT/Customs charges.

Any thoughts? Thanks - Richard
 
This will not work, unfortunately they are very strict on this. The logbook must be in an individuals name and not in a company name.
 
I'll answer my own question: It is fine...

After speaking with my local VRT office, the fact that the car was registered in NI by a NI resident (or in this case a NI company) and has been used there for a reasonable period of time, the car avoids tariffs, VAT and customs fees. Its would be subject to VRT, but because it is an EV that is avoided too (up to €5000 limit I believe).
 
landlord said:
This will not work, unfortunately they are very strict on this. The logbook must be in an individuals name and not in a company name.
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Ah. Just noticed your reply. Thanks. I also replied .

I talked with the VRT office directly (face to face an actual human) and they confirmed it would be fine. I showed them the details on the V5C document and they were content that it met the requirements.

I did think that it would be strange that NI (eg Coca Cola) companies trying to offload company cars would be subject to these restrictions.
 
FWIW I imported a demo car from NI post-Brexit but before the 2024 changes. It was in the name of the dealer from new and this was no issue.

I have not looked into it, but I thought the ‘in an individual’s name’ requirement applied to a car that was brought from mainland UK to NI and then imported to Ireland but would not be relevant to a car initially registered in NI, for example a dealer demo car.
 

Successfully re registered the NI car at the VRT office today. The fact that it was owned by/in the name of a dealer was not even mentioned. I avoided customs fees, tariffs, VAT and VRT. Quite happy about all that.
 
@richcav would you mind sharing roughly how much money you saved versus buying a similar car in the south?
 
RichKav said:
Successfully re registered the NI car at the VRT office today. The fact that it was owned by/in the name of a dealer was not even mentioned. I avoided customs fees, tariffs, VAT and VRT. Quite happy about all that.
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I thought VRT was payable when importing a car from NI?
 
RichKav said:
Successfully re registered the NI car at the VRT office today. The fact that it was owned by/in the name of a dealer was not even mentioned. I avoided customs fees, tariffs, VAT and VRT. Quite happy about all that.
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Good result, what was the registration date of the car, pre or post 1 Jan 2021?

Thanks
 
dee run said:
@richcav would you mind sharing roughly how much money you saved versus buying a similar car in the south?
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In my experience it depends on the car, some cheaper to buy in the south but savings on most cars if you buy up north

Last car I imported I didn’t save much as a % of car value but much lower mileage, superior warranty and condition.
 
I’m looking at buying a Motorhome that is registered in NI. The current owner only bought it in September (last month) and said he bought it off someone who was also in NI who registered it in April 2024.
My question is… how do I find out if the previous owner to the current owner did in fact have the vehicle registered in the North with an address in the North. The vehicle has a UK registration number.

Thank you
 
Not answering your question but if it were me I would be asking why is it being sold given 2 previous owners in last 6 months!!!
 
Pamandamonium said:
My question is… how do I find out if the previous owner to the current owner did in fact have the vehicle registered in the North
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If the current owner can't provide you with the proof, walk away. But as above, be highly suspicious of anyone selling so quickly. Campers can be very, very expensive to repair. Ask them to provide a full habitation test (at their expense).
 
Looking at importing a van from NI, it's registered to the current owner since 2018. VAT hasn't been paid on it, will I be required to pay VAT here on it or will the VAT need to be paid in NI.... OR is there no requirement to pay VAT at all?
 
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